Kangana Ranaut on why she won't join politics: 'I react to everything as a citizen, not because I want to be a politician'

A day after Kangana Ranaut won her fourth National Film Award , the actor said though she takes interest in matters of national importance, she has “no connection with politics at all”. Ranaut, who is known for her provocative statements, recently made headlines for her Twitter spat with actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh over the ongoing farmers’ protests and locking horns with the Maharashtra government after her office was demolished by the BMC. Asked if she would join politics, Ranaut said issues related to the country affect her “directly” but that does mean she wants to take a political plunge. “For me, the world of politics is quite unknown. If today I talk about the country, nationalism, farmers or laws which directly affect me, I’m told that I want to become a politician. “It’s not like that. I react to everything as a citizen. I have no connection with politics, at all,” the actor, who turned 34 on Tuesday, told reporters here. She was speaking at the trailer launch of her upcoming film _Thalaivi_ , the multilingual biographical film about the life of J Jayalalithaa, former Tamil Nadu CM and actor. Ranaut said her detractors get “extremely upset” whenever she expresses her opinion. “They ask why do I talk about nationalism, why am I so concerned to talk about farmers law. They have a problem with that. (When they want to talk about issues) They can say whatever they want, but how dare I speak? They were so hurt and pained. They created a lot of scenes, which we all saw,” she added. The actor also talked about releasing Thalaivi theatrically on 23 April amid the COVID-19 pandemic and said the “audience is ready” to watch the film in cinema halls. “Maybe the films that are coming aren’t performing to their full potential but it’s not that they are underperforming. They are definitely making a good impact. Audiences are ready. And we have to collectively fight it (COVID-19), the vaccine is also here and we still have four weeks (to release the film),” Ranaut said. “We are very hopeful that things will improve and we will have 100 per cent occupancy in theatres. Maybe in a few areas, we don’t have that but we are prepared for that,” she added. Thalaivi director Vijay and writer KV Vijayendra Prasad were also present at the event. The film also stars Arvind Swami, Madhoo, Prakash Raj, Jisshu Sengupta, Bhagyashree, and Poorna.